


caffeine and tea, and maybe a phone number

by juneses



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band), SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shop, Awkward Flirting, Gen, M/M, awkward first meetings, barista-ish!jun, joshua kinda helps out, jun is awkward and cute, short-ish & drabble-ish, so is yanan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 11:55:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15885549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juneses/pseuds/juneses
Summary: In the coffee shop, things were always a routine. And then, Junhui meets Yanan.





	caffeine and tea, and maybe a phone number

The distinct smell of coffee and sweetener are the two things that greet Junhui whenever he goes to his part-time job at a local café near his university. There’s a small chime when he enters and he sees that one of the younger workers, Minghao, is already there when it is still an hour to go before their shifts.

“What are you so early for?” is what Junhui asks, almost mechanically, even though he has been asking the same thing over and over since the two of them had partnered up every Wednesday mornings.

“I’m preparing all the ingredients,” Minghao says, with a blank face, even as he teases, “Since we both know that _I’m_ the only one doing the preparations.”

If this was the first time that this particular conversation popped up between the two of them, Junhui would have felt some semblance of shame – maybe more than a little dose of guilt – but Minghao is smiling now, teasing, and Junhui goes to the counter immediately as he tries to act offended.

“I’m not allowed to touch anything outside the counter,” Junhui whines, “Tell the boss, not me.”

And even if he is joking around, Junhui _really_ isn’t allowed to go even a centimeter near the coffee machines and blenders.

“Everyone knows,”  Minghao says, rolls his eyes slightly, and then smiles, “Why do you think that they got the best barista to work with you?”

Junhui can’t help it when a short chuckle escapes his lips, and he approaches Minghao with a, “You’re such an –“

“Work more, talk less, kids.”

Junhui gets cut off by the manager entering the shop, but that doesn’t stop Junhui from throwing disbelieving glances towards Minghao, who only gives a small, smug smile in return.

.

Sometimes, Junhui remembers the time when he first applied for the job.

He enters the door, gives a nervous smile to the interviewer – and then, just like that, gets a pass and gets told to come the next day for a trial.

And then, that’s where things go wrong because Junhui can cook if needed, but he also have a hard time distinguishing which ingredient to use because his Korean is only barely above the basic level.

A small grimace forms on his lips when he accidentally pours some cream on the table. There’s a groan from another employee, but that was not what makes Junhui even more nervous.

The customer was already tapping her feet _loudly_ because really, ten minutes has already passed and Junhui cannot make a decent cappuccino to save his life.

“Are you going to stand there and –“

Junhui winces when the girl actually complains and then he turns around, bows slightly, voice almost quaking when he apologizes, “I’m sorry, I’m –“

There’s a gasp and Jun slowly looks up and sees that the customer was staring at his face, wide-eyed and looking just a little bit flushed.

“O-oh, no,” the girl shakes her head and just like that, it was as if the irritation wore off her, “You can take your time, I can wait.”

Junhui nods his head and tries his best. He thinks that he had made a pretty good cup – it took another ten minutes – and then he hands it to the girl, a small apologetic smile on his lips, “I’m really, really sorry. I just –“

“No, no.” The girl is meeting his eyes – and Junhui is just a little flustered – and then adds, “I’ll come back again.”

Their boss must have seen that because after Junhui finishes that order, he gets pulled up. He expected a warning, but all he gets is a small sigh.

“You’re really _not_ a good barista,” there’s another sigh and Junhui braces for a nagging, but the boss puts his hand on Junhui’s shoulder and adds, “But you’re an amazing employee. I won’t let you prepare any coffee, but you can man the cashier, if you want to.”

Junhui blinks at that and wonders if the older man was being sarcastic. However, a shift later and with a new partner, Junhui realizes that he kept his job safe.

A week later, Junhui realizes that their boss was right – he _is_ an amazing employee. During his shifts, there are truckloads of girls – and several boys – who frequently order that they were almost shop regulars.

Even when the other barista takes some time, no one complains because Junhui is there, smiling at the customers and sometimes, even entertaining them.

He thinks that it would be gratifying that the customers _come for him_ , but most of the time, it just makes him a little shy and very much embarrassed.

 .

Within a few months – three, to be exact – in his part-time jobs, Junhui had finally got to terms that there is a bit of a fanfare whenever he mans the counter. In fact, most of the time, Junhui thinks that he knows literally everyone who enters during his shift because most of them are repeat customers.

There are the girls who take his pictures when they think that he isn’t looking – there are the boys who write their numbers in tissues and hope that Junhui would contact them.

It has almost become routine and Junhui was just about used to his situation when, one morning, the most beautiful boy he had ever seen entered the coffee shop.

Junhui has his fair share of relationships – boys and girls, older and younger and those who are around his age – and really, he never was one to be attracted to a person’s appearance.

After all, for the longest time, people approached _him_ for his looks. It didn’t matter if it was back in China or here in Korea, whether it was in his university or in the mall. Most people eye him like he’s a popular commodity and when the gratification and pride dies down, all that remains is a sense of insecurity.

So, really, no.

Junhui is never one to judge base on a person’s looks – but he really would be lying to himself if he says that the newcomer – who is walking very slowly, almost nervously towards the counter did not catch his eye.

When the man approaches, Junhui notices that the other is taller. Junhui files that particular information for the future, because when he finally comes back to his senses, he realizes that he _is_ on the clock.

“I’m,” it looked like it wasn’t _only_ Junhui whose a little frazzled, because the other boy gives a shaky, sweet smile as he says, “I’m Yanan.”

And then Junhui blinks his eyes at that – kind of wants to dig a hole, not for himself, but for this stranger – and even though he feels secondhand embarrassment, he also feels like laughing.

He _really_ shouldn’t laugh.

And well, if his heart is beating faster than how it normally does, no one has to know.

“And your order is?” Junhui mentally pats himself on the back when he properly brings the topic back to safer grounds. He even offers a polite, customer service smile, just in case.

The other boy – Yanan – blinks slowly and it looked like he realized what exactly he just said because his face reddens and his cheeks flame up.

And that really only makes _Junhui_ flustered _himself_ because there really was no way to get around this embarrassment.

“I’m getting an iced Americano,” Yanan says, slowly, warily, and then he gives a nervous look as he adds, voice softening, “and well, Yanan’s… the name… that you should put on the cup.”

“U-uh,” Junhui can only nod his head as he punched the numbers faster than he ever has. There is still the tingle of embarrassment in his veins, but he pushed them away.

Mechanically, he gives the price and Yanan, thankfully, doesn’t say much more when he pays.

“You can wait on one of the seats,” Junhui speaks up when he passes the receipt, trying his best to avoid eye-contact with the Insanely Gorgeous But Awkward Boy, and adds, “I’ll bring it to you.”

“Uhm,” Yanan stares at Junhui, almost as if he wants to add something else, but probably decides against that because he just nods his head and goes to one of the empty seats.

“One Iced Americano,” Junhui calls out to today’s shift partner, Joshua, and he can see the sly glance that the older gives him.

Junhui ignores it – despite being still a bit flustered that someone introduced themselves to him, since not even the regulars had done that before, at least not so directly.

In five minutes, Junhui is back on his groove and manages to not slip up with even a single customer. Everything is going well until Joshua taps him in the back and gives a really, really mischievous smile.

“…What?” Junhui wants to run at the expression, but he also knows that Joshua would never do something mean to him – though the others were sometimes Joshua’s victims.

“For your pretty boy,” it was embarrassing how Joshua says it with a faux straight face – his eyes were _laughing_ at Junhui, “Yanan, was it?”

Junhui makes a noise that is a mixture of a groan and a yelp, but he still takes the beverage to the waiting customer.

As he walks, Junhui reinforces that _yeah_ , this boy really _is_ handsome – but he also thinks that it’s a shame since with the embarrassing incident between the two of them, the chances that he will come back to the shop is unlikely.

The feeling only grows stronger because the customer – Yanan, his mind unnecessarily supplies – gets out of the coffee shop as fast as he can after he got his order.

Well, there goes any prospective chance at meeting him. Junhui is a bit sad, but also glad, because really, for all his prepared smiles and practiced speeches, Junhui _does_ get embarrassed and awkward easily.

.

For a week, gorgeous boy Yanan never comes again and all that Junhui has is the return of his routine shifts that composed of various people who indirectly and discreetly check him out when he isn’t looking.

He wonders if there is anyone who can beat the awkward customer encounter from last week but when he takes a break and checks his phone, there is a message from an unfamiliar number.

_Hey, it’s Yanan. Well, you left your number and I just want to say sorry for last time? Want to eat out, my treat?_

Junhui blinks at the message – once, twice. He didn’t leave his number, so was this a prank or a possible stalker situation? Images of the boy from before is close to shattering – Junhui isn’t into creeps, as gorgeous as they may be – but then, Joshua walks pass Junhui and a small thought popped in his mind.

“Hey,” Junhui calls out, a little exasperated but still a bit flustered from the earlier text, “Did you –“

The smirk on Joshua’s face was the only reply that he needed. Junhui doesn’t know if he should thank the other guy or complain to him because his phone buzzed again.

_If this makes you uncomfortable, you can ignore this message?_

And then, another.

_I’m sorry._

Handsome _and_ mannerly. Junhui is still going to ask Joshua for reimbursement later – maybe a free dinner – but for now, he has a person to reply to.

**Author's Note:**

> This really is just a 30 minute work so... please don't judge me too much. also, ohfoausljashdoa jun is so cute. i've just stanned-ish him a month ago and... my heart. such a cute and endearing boy, my heart can't take it. i hope for nothing but success for him because i watched that show he's on and he's so... amazing, both as a performer and as a human being. yanan is a complete sweetheart, too, being so nice to jun ;-;
> 
> also, i hope that the characters weren't too ooc, as short as the fic is. as i've said, i've only recently stanned jun - though i've kept an eye out for him when he did that super eye-catching dwc part - though I DO have watched as much vids about him (and seventeen) as i can in my free time. yanan, i've only have watched through the show so hopefully i didn't butcher his personality.
> 
> anw, that's that. i worked on this randomly lol and it's just past midnight. it's kinda-ish inspired by the awkward gift-giving lmaoooo. awkward pretty boys are so god-tier.
> 
> & i just! love junhui! (love jun! love hui! or something accdng to twt searches) and also love junan dynamics so, so much. hopefully yanan would be v healthy soon & jun would become very successful in everything he does. 
> 
> (this a/n is too long dhsaoda bye)


End file.
